Iran arrests four journalists; dozens deteriorating in prison

December 7, 2010 5:06 PM ET

New York, December 7, 2010--The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns today's arrest of four Iranian journalists at the daily Sharq.CPJ is also disturbed by recent news reports that indicate the abusive treatment endured by dozens of imprisoned Iranian prisoners has adversely affected the health of many of them--including Issa Saharkhiz, at left, a founding member of the now-defunct Association of Iranian ‎Journalists, who has reportedly undergone surgery for internal hemorrhaging at Rajaee Shahr Prison.

Sharq's
offices
were stormed twice by plainclothes forces today. During the first raid, officers
beat several journalists and arrested Editor-in-Chief Ahmad Gholami, International
Desk Editor Farzaneh Roostaei, and Political Desk Editor Kayvan Mehregan. Officers
returned a second time and arrested Ali Khodabakhsh, the newspaper's managing
director, according to
multiple news and human rights websites. The U.S.-government funded Radio Farda
quoted an unidentified journalist with Sharq
as saying he thinks the paper was raided because of an upcoming issue on
Student Day, which commemorates the 1953 day when Iranian students demonstrated
against the U.S.-backed coup. Since then, it has become an occasion for
Iranians to demonstrate against foreign interference and the government.

Saharkhiz underwent a complex
surgery in the prison infirmary because prison authorities reportedly refused
to allow him to be transferred to a hospital, multiple news websites
reported. No additional news about his condition is available. Saharkhiz, an experienced
journalist who worked for 15 years at IRNA, Iran's official news agency, was arrested in July 2009 and was charged with
"participation in riots," "encouraging others to participate in riots," and
"insulting the supreme leader." He was sentenced to three years in prison. He
has been subjected to torture and ill-treatment while in custody, CPJ research
shows.

"It is evident the
government is going out of its way to physically and mentally harm the dozens
of journalists it has behind bars even as it continues to round up more," said
Mohamed Abdel Dayem, CPJ's Middle East and North Africa Program Coordinator.
"Our colleagues are detained unjustly and the least Teheran can do is to ensure
that they are treated properly. We hold Iran's political leadership responsible
for the well-being of every detained journalist."

On
Sunday, veteran journalist and human rights defender Emadeddin
Baghi, at left, turned himself in to authorities at Tehran's Evin Prison to begin
serving a seven-year prison term, despite serious health complications that
occurred during previous stints in custody. Baghi suffers from a variety of
ailments, including severe respiratory and back problems, according to news reports.

In 2000 and
again in 2007, Baghi was convicted on antistate charges, spending nearly four
years in prison, CPJ research shows. Baghi was detained again in December 2009,
after the BBC Persian service rebroadcast a two-year old interview he conducted
with Ayatollah Montazeri, a prominent cleric who had fallen out of favor with
the political leadership. In May, His wife told reporters that his
health has since deteriorated in prison, and that he has lost 44 pounds (20
kilograms). He has developed respiratory problems as a result of poor detention
conditions, the news website Saham Newsreported, and has been hospitalized
several times. He also suffers from severe back problems, which were aggravated
by two months in solitary confinement.

Baghi's
seven-year term stems from two cases: He was sentenced to one year in
connection to his activism in an organization he established, the Society for
the Defense of Prisoners Rights, and to six years for the Montazeri interview.

Mehdi
Mahmoudian, a political journalist and a blogger arrested in September
2009, has developed severe respiratory problems in prison his father recently told reporters. Mahmoudian, at right, is serving a five-year term on charges of "mutiny against the regime" for his
role in documenting complaints of rape and abuse of detainees at the Kahrizak
Detention Center. His health problems developed when he was forced to endure freezing
temperatures in the prison yard without any clothes, according to the news
website Norooz News. The same tactic was employed against Saharkhiz
during the early days of his detention, according to CPJ research. Mahmoudian
is also suffering from kidney ailments, according to Deutsche Welle. The
authorities have refused to grant him a medical furlough, Norooz News reported.

Mohammad
Seddigh Kaboudvand, at left, is a journalist and human rights activist who is
currently serving his fourth year of a 10-year
sentence. Kaboudvand's health has been steadily deteriorating in prison,
multiple news websites have reported. Most recently, he suffered from seizures,
temporary blindness, fatigue, and mental stress, according to
the U.S.
government-fundedRadio Farda. He was
transferred to the prison infirmary to receive treatment but was returned to
his cell within 30 minutes, the same source reported.

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